[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 97 (Monday, July 20, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8554-S8558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now 
resume consideration of H.R. 4112, which the clerk will report.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 4112) making appropriations for the 
     Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     1999, and for other purposes.

  The Senate resumed consideration of the bill.


                           Amendment No. 3220

   (Purpose: To amend House legislative branch appropriation bill to 
                         include Senate items.)

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask 
for its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Alaska [Mr. Stevens], for Mr. Bennett, for 
     himself and Mr. Dorgan, proposes an amendment numbered 3220.

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of 
the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (The text of the amendment is printed in today's Record under 
``Amendments Submitted.'')
  Mr. STEVENS. This is, in effect, putting down our version of the 
bill, and it becomes original text.


  Amendments Nos. 3221, 3222, and 3223, en bloc, to Amendment No. 3220

  Mr. STEVENS. I send to the desk a series of second-degree managers' 
amendments and ask for their consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendments.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Alaska [Mr. Stevens], for Mr. Bennett, for 
     himself and Mr. Dorgan, proposes amendments numbered 3221, 
     3222, and 3223, en bloc.

  The amendments are as follows:


                           Amendment No. 3221

  (Purpose: To increase the appropriation for Capitol Police expenses)

       On page 14, line 24, strike ``$6,077,000'' and insert 
     ``$6,297,000''.


                           amendment no. 3222

       On page 2, line 9, strike ``$79,183,000'' and insert 
     ``$87,233,000''.
       On page 2, between lines 21 and 22, insert the following:

                      committee on appropriations

       For salaries of the Committee on Appropriations, 
     $6,050,000.
       On page 3, line 25, strike ``$19,332,000'' and insert 
     ``$21,332,000''.
       On page 4, line 22, strike $75,600,000'' and insert 
     ``$66,800,000''.
       On page 5, line 10, strike ``$7,905,000'' and insert 
     ``$8,655,000''.
       On page 12, between lines 2 and 3, insert the following:
       Sec. 10. (a) The Committee on Appropriations is authorized 
     in its discretion--
       (1) to hold hearings, report such hearings, and make 
     investigations as authorized by paragraph 1 of rule XXVI of 
     the Standing Rules of the Senate;
       (2) to make expenditures from the contingent fund of the 
     Senate;

[[Page S8555]]

       (3) to employ personnel;
       (4) with the prior consent of the Government department or 
     agency concerned and the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration to use, on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable 
     basis, the services of personnel of any such department or 
     agency;
       (5) to procure the services of individual consultants, or 
     organizations thereof (as authorized by section 202(i) of the 
     Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 and Senate Resolution 
     140, agreed to May 14, 1975); and
       (6) to provide for the training of the professional staff 
     of such committee (under procedures specified by section 
     202(j) of such Act).
       (b) Senate Resolution 54, agreed to February 13, 1997, is 
     amended by striking section 4.
       (c) This section shall be effective on and after October 1, 
     1998, or the date of enactment of this Act, whichever is 
     later.
       Sec. 11. (a)(1) The Chairman of the Appropriations 
     Committee of the Senate may, during any fiscal year, at his 
     or her election transfer funds from the appropriation account 
     for salaries for the Appropriations Committee of the Senate, 
     to the account, within the contingent fund of the Senate, 
     from which expenses are payable for such committee.
       (2) The Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the 
     Senate may, during any fiscal year, at his or her election 
     transfer funds from the appropriation account for expenses, 
     within the contingent fund of the Senate, for the 
     Appropriations Committee of the Senate, to the account from 
     which salaries are payable for such committee.
       (b) Any funds transferred under this section shall be--
       (1) available for expenditure by such committee in like 
     manner and for the same purposes as are other moneys which 
     are available for expenditure by such committee from the 
     account to which the funds were transferred; and
       (2) made at such time or times as the Chairman shall 
     specify in writing to the Senate Disbursing Office.
       (c) This section shall take effect on October 1, 1998, and 
     shall be effective with respect to fiscal years beginning on 
     or after that date.


                           amendment no. 3223

(Purpose: To amend the provisions relating to the Trade Deficit Review 
                              Commission)

       On page 35, line 8, strike all through line 9 on page 49 
     and insert the following:
               TITLE IV--TRADE DEFICIT REVIEW COMMISSION

     SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``Trade Deficit Review 
     Commission Act''.

     SEC. 402. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The United States continues to run substantial 
     merchandise trade and current account deficits.
       (2) Economic forecasts anticipate continued growth in such 
     deficits in the next few years.
       (3) The positive net international asset position that the 
     United States built up over many years was eliminated in the 
     1980s. The United States today has become the world's largest 
     debtor nation.
       (4) The United States merchandise trade deficit is 
     characterized by large bilateral trade imbalances with a 
     handful of countries.
       (5) The United States has one of the most open borders and 
     economies in the world. The United States faces significant 
     tariff and nontariff trade barriers with its trading 
     partners. The United States does not benefit from fully 
     reciprocal market access.
       (6) The United States is once again at a critical juncture 
     in trade policy development. The nature of the United States 
     trade deficit and its causes and consequences must be 
     analyzed and documented.

     SEC. 403. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.

       (a) Establishment.--There is established a commission to be 
     known as the Trade Deficit Review Commission (hereafter in 
     this title referred to as the ``Commission'').
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Commission is to study the 
     nature, causes, and consequences of the United States 
     merchandise trade and current account deficits.
       (c) Membership of Commission.--
       (1) Composition.--The Commission shall be composed of 12 
     members as follows:
       (A) Three persons shall be appointed by the President pro 
     tempore of the Senate upon the recommendation of the Majority 
     Leader of the Senate, after consultation with the Chairman of 
     the Committee on Finance.
       (B) Three persons shall be appointed by the President pro 
     tempore of the Senate upon the recommendation of the Minority 
     Leader of the Senate, after consultation with the ranking 
     minority member of the Committee on Finance.
       (C) Three persons shall be appointed by the Speaker of the 
     House of Representatives, after consultation with the 
     Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means.
       (D) Three persons shall be appointed by the Minority Leader 
     of the House of Representatives, after consultation with the 
     ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Mean.
       (2) Qualifications of members.--
       (A) Appointments.--Persons who are appointed under 
     paragraph (1) shall be persons who--
       (i) have expertise in economics, international trade, 
     manufacturing, labor, environment, business, or have other 
     pertinent qualifications or experience; and
       (ii) are not officers or employees of the United States.
       (B) Other considerations.--In appointing Commission 
     members, every effort shall be made to ensure that the 
     members--
       (i) are representative of a broad cross-section of economic 
     and trade perspectives within the United States; and
       (ii) provide fresh insights to analyzing the causes and 
     consequences of United States merchandise trade and current 
     account deficits.
       (d) Period of Appointment; Vacancies.--
       (1) In general.--Members shall be appointed not later than 
     60 days after the date of enactment of this Act and the 
     appointment shall be for the life of the Commission.
       (2) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Commission shall not 
     affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner as 
     the original appointment.
       (e) Initial Meeting.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
     on which all members of the Commission have been appointed, 
     the Commission shall hold its first meeting.
       (f) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of the 
     Chairperson.
       (g) Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.--The members of the 
     Commission shall elect a chairperson and vice chairperson 
     from among the members of the Commission.
       (h) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission 
     shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
       (i) Voting.--Each member of the Commission shall be 
     entitled to 1 vote, which shall be equal to the vote of every 
     other member of the Commission.

     SEC. 404. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.

       (a) In General.--The Commission shall be responsible for 
     examining the nature, causes, and consequences of, and the 
     accuracy of available data on, the United States merchandise 
     trade and current account deficits.
       (b) Issues to be Addressed.--The Commission shall examine 
     and report to the President, the Committee on Ways and Means 
     of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Finance of 
     the Senate, and other appropriate committees of Congress on 
     the following:
       (1) The relationship of the merchandise trade and current 
     account balances to the overall well-being of the United 
     States economy, and to wages and employment in various 
     sectors of the United States economy.
       (2) The impact that United States monetary and fiscal 
     policies may have on United States merchandise trade and 
     current account deficits.
       (3) The extent to which the coordination, allocation, and 
     accountability of trade responsibilities among Federal 
     agencies may contribute to the trade and current account 
     deficits.
       (4) The causes and consequences of the merchandise trade 
     and current account deficits and specific bilateral trade 
     deficits, including--
       (A) identification and quantification of--
       (i) the macroeconomic factors and bilateral trade barriers 
     that may contribute to the United States merchandise trade 
     and current account deficits;
       (ii) any impact of the merchandise trade and current 
     account deficits on the domestic economy, industrial base, 
     manufacturing capacity, technology, number and quality of 
     jobs, productivity, wages, and the United States standard of 
     living;
       (iii) any impact of the merchandise trade and current 
     account deficits on the defense production and innovation 
     capabilities of the United States; and
       (iv) trade deficits within individual industrial, 
     manufacturing, and production sectors, and any relationship 
     between such deficits and the increasing volume of intra-
     industry and intra-company transactions;
       (B) a review of the adequacy and accuracy of the current 
     collection and reporting of import and export data, and the 
     identification and development of additional data bases and 
     economic measurements that may be needed to properly quantify 
     the merchandise trade and current account balances, and any 
     impact the merchandise trade and current account balances may 
     have on the United States economy; and
       (C) the extent to which there is reciprocal market access 
     substantially equivalent to that afforded by the United 
     States in each country with which the United States has a 
     persistent and substantial bilateral trade deficit, and the 
     extent to which such deficits have become structural.
       (5) Any relationship of United States merchandise trade and 
     current account deficits to both comparative and competitive 
     trade advantages within the global economy, including--
       (A) a systematic analysis of the United States trade 
     patterns with different trading partners and to what extent 
     the trade patterns are based on comparative and competitive 
     trade advantages;
       (B) the extent to which the increased mobility of capital 
     and technology has changed both comparative and competitive 
     trade advantages;
       (C) any impact that labor, environmental, or health and 
     safety standards may have on comparative and competitive 
     trade advantages;
       (D) the effect that offset and technology transfer 
     agreements have on the long-term competitiveness of the 
     United States manufacturing sectors; and

[[Page S8556]]

       (E) any effect that international trade, labor, 
     environmental, or other agreements may have on United States 
     competitiveness.
       (6) The extent to which differences in the growth rates of 
     the United States and its trading partners may impact on 
     United States merchandise trade and current account deficits.
       (7) The impact that currency exchange rate fluctuations and 
     any manipulation of exchange rates may have on United States 
     merchandise trade and current account deficits.
       (8) The flow of investments both into and out of the United 
     States, including--
       (A) any consequences for the United States economy of the 
     current status of the United States as a debtor nation;
       (B) any relationship between such investment flows and the 
     United States merchandise trade and current account deficits 
     and living standards of United States workers;
       (C) any impact such investment flows may have on United 
     States labor, community, environmental, and health and safety 
     standards, and how such investment flows influence the 
     location of manufacturing facilities; and
       (D) the effect of barriers to United States foreign direct 
     investment in developed and developing nations, particularly 
     nations with which the United States has a merchandise trade 
     and current account deficit.

     SEC. 405. FINAL REPORT.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 12 months after the date of 
     the initial meeting of the Commission, the Commission shall 
     submit to the President and Congress a final report which 
     contains--
       (1) the findings and conclusions of the Commission 
     described in section 404; and
       (2) recommendations for addressing the problems identified 
     as part of the Commission's analysis.
       (b) Separate Views.--Any member of the Commission may 
     submit additional findings and recommendations as part of the 
     final report.

     SEC. 406. POWERS OF COMMISSION.

       (a) Hearings.--The Commission may hold such hearings, sit 
     and act at such times and places, take such testimony, and 
     receive such evidence as the Commission may find advisable to 
     fulfill the requirements of this title. The Commission shall 
     hold at least 1 or more hearings in Washington, D.C., and 4 
     in different regions of the United States.
       (b) Information From Federal Agencies.--The Commission may 
     secure directly from any Federal department or agency such 
     information as the Commission considers necessary to carry 
     out the provisions of this title. Upon request of the 
     Chairperson of the Commission, the head of such department or 
     agency shall furnish such information to the Commission.
       (c) Postal Services.--The Commission may use the United 
     States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions 
     as other departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

     SEC. 407. COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.

       (a) Compensation of Members.--Each member of the Commission 
     shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent 
     of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of 
     the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United 
     States Code, for each day (including travel time) during 
     which such member is engaged in the performance of the duties 
     of the Commission.
       (b) Travel Expenses.--The members of the Commission shall 
     be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
     subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies 
     under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
     Code, while away from their homes or regular places of 
     business in the performance of services for the Commission.
       (c) Staff.--
       (1) In general.--The Chairperson of the Commission may, 
     without regard to the civil service laws and regulations, 
     appoint and terminate an executive director and such other 
     additional personnel as may be necessary to enable the 
     Commission to perform its duties. The employment of an 
     executive director shall be subject to confirmation by the 
     Commission.
       (2) Compensation.--The Chairperson of the Commission may 
     fix the compensation of the executive director and other 
     personnel without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and 
     subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, 
     relating to classification of positions and General Schedule 
     pay rates, except that the rate of pay for the executive 
     director and other personnel may not exceed the rate payable 
     for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 
     such title.
       (d) Detail of Government Employees.--Any Federal Government 
     employee may be detailed to the Commission without 
     reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption 
     or loss of civil service status or privilege.
       (e) Procurement of Temporary and Intermittent Services.--
     The Chairperson of the Commission may procure temporary and 
     intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, 
     United States Code, at rates for individuals which do not 
     exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay 
     prescribed for level V of the Executive Schedule under 
     section 5316 of such title.

     SEC. 408. SUPPORT SERVICES.

       The Administrator of the General Services Administration 
     shall provide to the Commission on a reimbursable basis such 
     administrative support services as the Commission may 
     request.

     SEC. 409. APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are appropriated $2,000,000 to the Commission to 
     carry out the provisions of this title.

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, these are three managers' amendments 
which I have sent to the desk. They have been cleared on both sides of 
the aisle. I ask for their immediate adoption en bloc and I ask 
unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The 
amendments are agreed to, en bloc.
  The amendments (Nos. 3221, 3222, and 3223) were agreed to, en bloc.


                     Amendment No. 3220, As amended

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask for the adoption of the underlying 
first-degree amendment, as amended.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no objection, the underlying 
amendment is agreed to, as amended.
  The amendment (No. 3220), as amended, was agreed to.
  Mr. STEVENS. I move to reconsider the vote and move to lay that 
motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.


                           Amendment No. 3224

(Purpose: To require certain Legislative Branch officials to submit to 
 Congress lists of activities performed under the jurisdiction of the 
       officials that are not inherently governmental functions)

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment on behalf 
of Senator Thomas and Senator Brownback.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Alaska [Mr. Stevens], for Mr. Thomas, for 
     himself and Mr. Brownback, proposes an amendment numbered 
     3224.

  Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be 
dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:
       At the appropriate place at the end of the bill insert:
       Sec. 311. (a) This section applies to the following 
     officials:
       (1) The Architect of the Capitol.
       (2) The Secretary of the Senate
       (3) The sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate.
       (4) The Public Printer.
       (5) The Director, and the Executive Director, of the United 
     States botanic Garden.
       (b)(1) Not later than March 30, 1999, each official named 
     in subsection (a) shall submit to Congress a list of each 
     activity that----
       (A) is to be performed by or for the official in fiscal 
     year 2000;
       (B) is not an inherently governmental function; and
       (C) is----
       (i) performed by a Federal Government source on September 
     30, 1998; or
       (ii) initiated after that date, if one or more Federal 
     government sources are to be considered for selection as the 
     source to perform the activity.
       (2) Each list shall include (for each activity listed)----
       (A) the number of full-time employees (or its equivalent) 
     that would be necessary for the performance of the activity 
     by a Federal Government source; and
       (B) the name of a Federal Government employee responsible 
     for the activity from whom additional information about the 
     activity may be obtained.
       (c) An activity is not required to be included on an 
     official's list under subsection (b) if the activity, as 
     determined by the official----
       (1) is to be performed as a Federal Government response to 
     a national emergency declared by the President or Congress;
       (2) is to be performed for the official by a privat3e 
     sector source pursuant to a contract or other agreement 
     entered into by the head of another department or agency of 
     the Federal Government; or
       (3) is the provision of items that should be produced, 
     manufactured, or provided, or services that should be 
     provided, by a Federal Government source for reasons of 
     national security (including reasons relating to the 
     acquisition, processing, or analysis of intelligence in the 
     national security interests of the United States).
       (d) In this section:
       (1) The term ``Federal Government source'', with respect to 
     performance of an activity, means any organization within the 
     Federal Government that uses Federal Government employees to 
     perform the activity.
       (2)(A) The term ``inherently governmental function'' means 
     a function that is so intimately related to the public 
     interest as to require performance by Federal Government 
     employees.
       (B) The term includes activities that require either the 
     exercise of discretion in applying Federal government 
     authority or the making of value judgments in making 
     decisions for the Federal government, including

[[Page S8557]]

     judgments relating to monetary transactions and entitlements. 
     An inherently governmental function involves, among other 
     things, the interpretation and execution of the laws of the 
     United States so as--
       (i) to bind the United States to take or not to take some 
     action by contract, policy, regulation, authorization, order, 
     or otherwise;
       (ii) to determine, protect, and advance United States 
     economic, political, territorial, property, or other 
     interests by military or diplomatic action, civil or criminal 
     judicial proceedings, contract management, or otherwise;
       (iii) to significantly affect the life, liberty, or 
     property of private persons;
       (iv) to commission, appoint, direct, or control officers or 
     employees of the United States; or
       (v) to exert ultimate control over the acquisition, use, or 
     disposition of the property, real or personal, tangible or 
     intangible, of the United States, including the collection, 
     control, or disbursement of appropriated and other Federal 
     funds.
       (C) The term does not normally include----
       (i) gathering information for or providing advice, 
     opinions, recommendations, or ideas to Federal Government 
     officials; or
       (ii) any function that is primarily ministerial and 
     internal in nature (such as building security, mail 
     operations, operation of cafeterias, housekeeping, facilities 
     operations and maintenance, warehouse operations, motor 
     vehicle fleet management operations, or other routine 
     electrical or mechanical services).
       (3) The term ``private sector source'', with respect to the 
     operation of a facility owned by the Federal Government, 
     includes a contractor that is operating, or is to operate, 
     the facility.

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague, Senator 
Brownback, in offering this amendment. What we seek to do with this 
amendment is quite simple: require the legislative branch to identify 
its commercial functions that are performed in-house.
  For the past several years, I have been the primary Senate sponsor of 
the Freedom from Government Competition Act. That legislation would 
codify the 40 year old administrative policy in place for the executive 
branch which requires: (1) Federal agencies to identify their 
commercial activities; and (2) Conduct public/private competitions to 
determine whether the private sector or government employees can 
provide the ``best value'' to the American taxpayer. Unfortunately, 
this policy, now found in OMB Circular A-76, is routinely ignored by 
many federal executive agencies. In fact, OMB recently issued another 
call for federal agencies' commercial inventories, its third request in 
the last several years. That's why Senator Brownback and I have been 
working to get this policy into statute.
  Today, Senator Brownback and I seek to extend some of these 
requirements to cover the legislative branch. In fact, we know that 
there are over one million federal executive branch employees engaged 
in commercial work. But since this policy doesn't apply to the 
legislative branch, we don't know how many legislative branch employees 
are doing commercial work, how much that work costs or whether the work 
could be done more efficiently by the private sector. This amendment 
will help us gather that information and make the legislative branch 
play by the same rules as the rest of the federal government.
  I urge my colleagues to support this good government, common sense 
reform.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, the amendment that Senator Thomas and I 
have offered would simply require the Architect of the Capitol, the 
Secretary of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, the Public 
Printer, and the Director of the United States Botanic Garden to submit 
to Congress an inventory of all noninherently governmental--or 
commercial--activities.
  Throughout this session of Congress, my colleague from Wyoming and I 
have been working on S. 314, also known as the Federal Activities 
Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act, which would require the Federal agencies 
to do the same. My subcommittee, the Oversight Subcommittee on 
Government Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia has 
held three hearings focusing on this legislation. More recently, the 
Senate Governmental Affairs Committee reported this bill out of 
committee. This bill has bipartisan support, the support of the 
Administration, as well as Federal employees and the industry 
community.
  Through our work on this issue, we concluded that this requirement 
should apply to the legislative branch as well. Last month, OMB asked 
all Federal agencies to submit their commercial inventory to OMB. The 
legislative branch should do the same and submit their inventory to 
Congress.
  The Thomas-Brownback amendment tasks those who are engaged in the 
daily operations of the legislative branch to identify these commercial 
activities. Once these activities are identified, the heads of these 
legislative branch departments, along with the Senators, will have the 
opportunity to evaluate these functions.
  Past discussions concerning these activities in the legislative 
branch have focused only on specific targets such as the Senate Barber 
Shop and Beauty Salon. In order to have a comprehensive view of how to 
improve operations in the legislative branch, we need to know all 
commercial activities performed in-house.
  As the legislative body of the Federal Government, we, as Congress 
have the opportunity to not only legislate on this issue, but to set an 
example. I challenge my colleagues who are committed to ensuring that 
no taxpayer's dollar is wasted in the Federal Government, to set this 
example and support this amendment.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask for adoption of the amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate on the amendment?
  Mr. STEVENS. I say, it was with some reservations that I sent this 
amendment to the desk. But that was the agreement of the managers that 
was made on Friday, that we would adopt this amendment. Therefore, I 
ask to carry out their agreement.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no objection, the amendment is 
agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 3224) was agreed to.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote and move to 
lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. STEVENS. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 2138, the 
legislative branch appropriations bill for fiscal year 1999.
  The bill, as reported provides $1.6 billion in new budget authority 
and $1.3 billion in outlays for the Senate and other legislative branch 
agencies, including the Library of Congress, the General Accounting 
Office, and the Government Printing Office, among others. As a matter 
of comity, the bill does not include funding for operations of the 
House of Representatives.
  When outlays from prior year appropriations and other adjustments are 
taken into account, the bill totals $2.4 billion in budget authority 
and outlays. The bill is under the subcommittee's 302(b) allocation $38 
million in budget authority and at its allocation for outlays.
  I want to commend the distinguished chairman and ranking member of 
the Legislative Branch Subcommittee for producing a bill that is 
substainially within their 302(b) allocation. I am pleased that this 
bill continues to hold the lien on congressional spending.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the record 
a table displaying the Budget Committee scoring of S. 2137, as 
reported. I urge the Senate to support this bill and refrain from 
offering amendments that would cause the subcommittee to violate its 
302(b) allocation.
  There being no objection, the table was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

           S. 2137, LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS, 1999 SPENDING COMPARISONS--SENATE-REPORTED BILL          
                                   [Fiscal year 1999, in millions of dollars]                                   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Defense  Nondefense   Crime   Mandatory   Total 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senate-reported bill:                                                                                           
  Budget authority............................................  .......      2,361   .......        94     2,455
  Outlays.....................................................  .......      2,328   .......        94     2,422
Senate 302(b) allocation:                                                                                       
  Budget authority............................................  .......      2,399   .......        94     2,493
  Outlays.....................................................  .......      2,328   .......        94     2,422
1998 level:                                                                                                     
  Budget authority............................................  .......      2,257   .......        92     2,349

[[Page S8558]]

                                                                                                                
  Outlays.....................................................  .......      2,209   .......        92     2,301
President's request                                                                                             
  Budget authority............................................  .......      2,472   .......        94     2,566
  Outlays.....................................................  .......      2,411   .......        94     2,505
House-passed bill:                                                                                              
  Budget authority............................................  .......      2,330   .......        94     2,424
  Outlays.....................................................  .......      2,302   .......        94     2,396
                                                                                                                
               SENATE-REPORTED BILL COMPARED TO                                                                 
                                                                                                                
Senate 302(b) allocation:                                                                                       
  Budget authority............................................  .......        -38   .......  .........      -38
  Outlays.....................................................  .......  ..........  .......  .........  .......
1998 level:                                                                                                     
  Budget authority............................................  .......        104   .......         2       106
  Outlays.....................................................  .......        119   .......         2       121
President's request                                                                                             
  Budget authority............................................  .......       -111   .......  .........     -111
  Outlays.....................................................  .......        -83   .......  .........      -83
House-passed bill:                                                                                              
  Budget authority............................................  .......         31   .......  .........       31
  Outlays.....................................................  .......         26   .......  .........       26
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note.--Details may not add to totals due to rounding. Totals adjusted for consistency with current scorekeeping 
  conventions.                                                                                                  

  

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